A security expert examines if the hackers of Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs could actually take over a real smart city (interview)

One of the appealing parts about Ubisoft’s upcoming Watch Dogs video game is just how plausible its scenario is in the real world. In Watch Dogs, a hacker named Aiden Pearce and his friends take over the “city operating system” in a near-future Chicago. They spy on smartphones and use security cameras for their own surveillance. They cause traffic accidents by making street signals change unpredictably, creating an Orwellian nightmare that turns the tables on the authorities.

Could it really happen? An IBM executive I interviewed was skeptical. But Ubisoft made sure it was realistic by tapping Vitaly Kamluk, the chief malware expert at antivirus/security software firm Kaspersky Lab in Moscow. He consulted for a year and advised Ubisoft’s developers on how to balance both realism and entertainment in the game.

The lead character can gain access to the city’s infrastructure as well as mobile phones. In Watch Dogs, every smartphone can be hacked, giving players access to the personal information of other characters – but it’s all based on real-life scenarios.

GamesBeat interviewed Kamluk, who helped uncover a cyber-espionage ring called Red October back in December, about the theme of Watch Dogs and security in the real world.